Earlier this month, we welcomed a group from AXA XL back to SOS for another corporate volunteer day. The group worked hard to make the final preparations to our new Meerkat enclosure, including a lot of moving sand, planting and watering the grasses and trees and clearing away bits from the building process.
They also made a start weeding an area beside the new enclosure, which we’re dedicating to an old volunteer named Laurie, who sadly passed away a couple of years ago.
The following week, a group from IJYI Software Development and Data Experts came in to lend us a hand. Unfortunately, there were major traffic issues locally due to an overturned lorry, with many of our staff and regular volunteers held up in the tailbacks. The group made it to us though, and got to work weeding our extra seating area of the Flying Ground, before moving a mound of bark chippings to create a level surface for visitors. They enjoyed watching the Flying Displays from this area while waiting for the roads to clear for their return journey home.
We are also pleased to be continuing to work with Suffolk Rural College Supported Learning Group. Over the course of six weeks they have been helping with various projects on site. They have topped up sand at the back of our Raptor Hospital to improve the drainage, added top soil to Laurie’s Garden ready for planting, and worked super hard to clear the tangle of weeds in the Woodland Walk. This work is part of their Employability Course, which aims to give work skills to students to prepare them for employment after college.
Volunteer Co-ordiantor Beckie says “Having groups choose to spend a day volunteering with us enables larger jobs to progress very quickly! Moving substrates such as sand and bark chipping can take our staff several days to complete due to other tasks such as caring for our animals, but these groups just get on with the task at hand and get it done in a few hours! We are so grateful to all the group and corporate volunteers who support us throughout the year! Thank you!”